guettler



H. GUETTLER.

BARKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 19. 1916.

1,324,, 193., Patented Dec. 9,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. GUETTLER'.

BARKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-l9. 1916.

1L 3Q4l 193o I Patented Dec. 9,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. GUETTLER.

BARKING APPARATUS. APPLICATIONIHLED OCT-19.1916.

Patented Dec. 9,1919.

. l l v BSHEETS-SHEETB.

H.Guett/er T is Z rarer area.

HERBERT GUETTLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN BARKING DRUM COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION CF ILLINOIS.

asea ea Application filed October 19,

To all it may concern Be it known that I, HERBERT-GUETTLER, a

- subject of the King of Norway, residing in may be barked dry or may be periodically immersed in a tank of water. The improveail . charge end;

ments permit continuous operation by con-} tinuously delivering-the bark from the drum' into the tank and then removing it from the tank. The meansfor supporting the drum and the mechanism for. driving item of a character particulanlysuited to the heavy weight of the. moving'parts and the severe service conditions, and are of such a character that the bark is not caught in the tank and cannot interfere with free rotation of the drum.

The invention also comprises means for varying the charge of wood and the leveljof water in the drum, and the speed with, which the wood passes through the drum when supplied continuously at one end and delivered in barked condition through the other end. Means are also provided. for efi'ectively tumbling the blocks of wood in the ,drum and for keeping open the passages through which the bark is delivered intothe tank, and there is a saving in water.- When working with. wood whichf'is easily barked, such for instance, as hemlock, the water may be drained from'the drum and the'barking carried on in the dry way.

Means are provided for returning to theintake. end of the drum any blocks .ofwood which. have been discharged" through the drum incompletely barked. The reclaimed bark can be used for fuel or for industrial purposes.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a lan view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a si e elevation;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing the dis- Specification of Letters Patent.

' BARKING APPARATUS.

Patented Dec. 9, F918 1916. Serial no. 126,556.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section of the drum illustrating the shape and position of the angle bars and one ofthe bar removing fllghts;

Fig.'8 is asimilar view of a modified arrangement of the angle bars; and Fig. 9 shows a guard at the end of the drum.

The preferred embodiment of the inventlon shown in the drawings comprises a drum 1, cylindrical in shape, and open at both ends. The drum is arranged for rotation in a tank 2 adapted to contain water and having a concave bottom substantially concentric throughout with the drum.

The cylindrical drum is composed of a plurality of rings 3 to which are secured angle bars 4 having their flanges projecting inwardly and having their Webs spaced apart, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, to form long,;narrow slots through which the bark is delivered from the drum. By makingtheheldbetween adjacent flanges and therefore donot close up the bark-discharging slots The drum 1 is supportedby flexible endless elements,, such as chains 5, which engage smooth rings 6 with which the drum is provided, and pass .over smooth traction wheels 7, and 8 which are supported on a suitable frame 9. All of these wheels are secured to independent axles, and the axles 10 0f wheels 8 are journaled in suitable takeup bearings, each of which is pressed outward by a spring 11, theinner end of which is seated on a screw 12 which can be adjusted with a wrench to increaseor decrease the tension on spring 11, thereby sliding the bearing with its axle 10 either inward or outward, and in this manner adjusting the tension on each individual supporting chain, of which four may be used, as illustrated in the drawings. Not only can the slack of the chai s th sb taken up independe tly and ieaawe As a means for rotating the drum, there is provided near its middle, an annular sprocket 13 (Fig. 6) bolted between the flanges of the two central drum rings 3, which, for this urpose, are placed side by side with their anges opposed. Engaging with the sprocket is a driving chain 14: which passes over a driving sprocket 15 secured to shaft 16, which is positioned above the upwardly moving side of the drum and is driven in suitable manner as by a sprocket 17 and chain 18. This method of driving has many advantages. With drums of large diameter there is a. tendency forthem to spring or yield under the heavy load of wood, andwith this mode of driving they may be temporarily or even permanently deformed without serious inconvenience. The turning or rotating force, by its upward direction, tends to relieve'somewhat the tension on the four supporting chains,

and by mounting shaft 16 substantially above the upwardly moving side of the drum, there is, in effect, a compensation for the unequal distribution of Wood within the' drum while in action. The driving chain may be slack on the following side, thereby giving the drum freedom of movement when springs 11 are adjusted or yield during nor mal operation of the apparatus. In order to prevent lateral swinging of the drum durlng rotation, it is provided adjacent its ends with guide rings 19 (Fig. 5) which are engaged by the flanged guide rollers 20, rotatably mounted upon the frame 9 at the sides of'the drum.

The blocks of Wood from which the bark is to be detached are introduced into one end of the drum by means of a chute 21, and after the bark has been removed, are delivered from the other end of the drum to a chute 22, preferably in the form of a grid, and down this they slide while being washed off with jets of water from a pipe 23. The blocks are ultimately delivered to an endless conveyer 24 by which they may be transported to other parts of the mill. It is expedient to operate the drum under such conditions that not all of the wood discharged over chute 22 shall be entirely barked, and to provide a conveyer 25 (Fig. 1) so that an operator standing at the discharge end of the drum can sort the wood and return the imperfectly barked pieces over conveyer 25 to the intake end of the drum, where they can again be fed through for further tumbling. The plurality of bark-discharging openings formed in the cylindrical surface of the drum between the angle bars 4, are of such size that the pieces of detached bark escape.

may pass freely therethrough and into the tank of water without permitting the escape ofany of the blocks.

When the drum is to be used for barking slabs, edgings, or wood of like thickness, or for barking mixtures of such thin materials with logs or blocks of ordinary dimensions as used in the paper making industry, I prefer to provide each longitudinal slot with a guard or baflie 3' (Figs. 7 and 8), preferably in the form of a series of flat strips having their ends turned up and riveted to the flanges of-rings 3, the horizontal portions of these strips having a width substantially that of the slot and being spaced far enough from the webs of angle bars 4 to afiord a proper passage through which the bark can Because of the tortuous character of this passage, slabs, edgings, or the like, can not work out to the outside of the drum where, of course, such projecting pieces would interfere with free rotation and might seriously injure some part of the apparatus.

When working with ordinary round wood having dimensions of say two feet in length and six to ten inches in diameter, 'theseouter guards 3 are not necessary, and for conveniencein illustration they have been omitted from Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. It is to be understood, however, that this adjunct to the drum can be applied or omitted as theneeds of the user may dictate, and irrespective of the particular shape or grouping of the an gle bars, or the like, within the drum, whereby the wood is tumbled. Secured to the outer surface of the drum are a plurality of paddles or flights 26 in the form of combs or forks. As the drum rotates, these flights sweep through the water in tank 2 and remove therefrom the pieces of bark which have passed into the tank through the openings in the drum. This bark is discharged over the side wall 27of the tank and received in compartment 28, which has a horizontal drain plate 29 and a scraping conveyer 30 for transporting the bark toward one end of the drum for ultimate delivery to a drying apparatus, or the like, whereby the bark is rendered suitable for fuel or for industrial purposes. The water draining off through plate 29 is collected in adrain 31 and conveyed away.

By supporting the drum upon the chains, as shown, the usual drum-supporting rollers are not required, and thus the bottom of the tank is smooth throughout its entire extent and is free from any obstruction which might interfere with removal of the bark from the tank or with the free rotation. of the drum.

Near the ends of the drum, the combshaped flights may be replaced by imperfora'te bafi'ies 32 of spiral form secured to the outside of angle bars 4 and acting to propel inward toward the next adjacent section of is rotated until its upper surface assumesa'certain critical'angle, as indicated in Fig. 4, after which the blocks of wood tumble downward over one another and rub over one another in such a way that the bark becomes detached. The quantity of wood which can be treated, and consequently the .an'gle of inclination which the surface-of the charge assumes during the operation, depends upon the quality and character of the wood. In order that the machine may be adapted to treat different quantities of wood, or different qualities of wood, adjustable means are provided adjacent the dischargeen'd of the drum to vary the height of the wood within the drum. As shown,-

the end posts 33 of frame 9 are adapted to support transversely extending planks 34 When the planks are in place, they register with the open discharge end of the drum and are in close proximity thereto. It. will be understood that the I level of the charge of wood in the drum depends upon the'height of the barrier thus built up by placing one plank above another;- I I The amount of Water in the tank 2 should be varied-in accordance with the quantity of wood in the drum in order that there may 'besufiicient'water inthe tank to keep the wood thoroughly soaked down without,

howeverfpermittingit to float. By thus .proportioning the amount .of water to the quantity of Wood being treated, the water acts as a'support for thewood and relieves, to. a great; extent;,zthe weightwhich the chains 5' wouldotherwise becalledupon to support. In order to vary the amount of water within the tank, the edge 27 thereof comprises a plurality of removable sections placed one, above another. These sections form a damandprovide' ready means for varying the level of water within the tank.

With some kinds of wood, as, for instance, hemlock, it is desirable at times to effect barking without periodically immersing the blocks of wood in water. By thus working in a dry way, the bark comes from the ap-v paratus in dry conditions and needs no treatment to render itsuita'ble for use as a fuel. The preferred embodiment-here disclosed. is readily adaptablefor dry barking, and to this end tank 2 is provided near its center with an-outlet chamber 35 controlled by a valve or gate 36 in a discharge pipe leading to a drain channel 37. Over this chamber and conformmgto the curved 7 interior of the tank is a removable grid or grating. 38 through which the bark will not pass, and from which the bark will be barrier.

have openings along its side as well as along, 4

its bottom, and can be used for projecting water into the adjacent open end of the drum to wet down and wash off the blocks of wood when they are approaching delivery from the drum. v

A considerable clearance must be allowed between the'ends of the drum and the ad jacent wooden barriers by which these ends are partially closed, for otherwise the drum, due to warping or irregularities in its manufacture, might strike or chafe against the With a clearance of an inch and a half or two inches at-each end of the drum there is danger thatsmall pieces of wood might work into the gap and there become wedged and either stop rotation of the drum or injure it, and to guard against this possibility, there, is provided at each end of the drum, a guard 39 attached to the adjacent barrier and overlapping the end of the drum sufficiently to close the clearance gap. In Fig.9v this guard is in the form of an angle bar fastened to barrier 34 and shaped to conform to the curved lower half of the drum, up to about. the level of guide rollers 20 (Fig. 3). A similar guard is used at the intake end of the drum.

I claim j 1. In a bark-removing machine, the combination of a drum adapted to receive blocks of Wood at one end and discharge them at the other end, said drum having openings in its side? an endless driving chain. encircling said drum; endless chains, separate from said driving chain, passing around said drum to yieldingly support it; a tank into which the lower portion of the drum projects, adapted to contain water wherein the wood is immersed, the water entering the drum through said openings and acting means acting on said driving chain tov ro-.

tate said drum in said supporting chains.

2.- Ina bark-removing machine, the combination of a drum adapted to receive blocks of wood at one end and discharge them at the other end, said drum having openings in its side; an endless driving chain encircling said drum; endless flexible traveling elements, separate from said chain, passing around said drum to yieldingly support it; a tank into which the lower portion of the drum projects. adapted to contain water wherein the wood is immersed. the water entering the drum through said openings, and actin to support the wood and thereby Hill relieve the weight on said supporting elements; and means actin on said chain to rotate said drum in said supporting elements, said means being located substantially above the upwardly-moving side of the drum so as to relieve the tension on said supporting elements.

3. In a bark-removing machine, the comchain to rotate said drum in said supportingelements; and spring means associated with said supporting elements for automatically taking up shocks incidental to the rotation of the drum.

4. In a bark removing machine, the 'combination of a rotatable drum adapted to continuously receive blocks of wood at one end and to discharge them at the other end, said drum having longitudinal bark discharging slots, endless chains supporting said drum, a 4 air of sheaves for each of said chains, one s cave of each pair havin a spring-pressed take-up bearing, a driving chain encircling said drum and means acting on said driving chain to rotate said drum in said supporting chains.

5. In a bark removing machine, the com bination of a rotatable drum adapted to receive blocks of Wood at one end and to dis charge them at the other end, said drum having bark discharging slots in its side, endless traveling elements encircling said drum to yieldingly support it, a driving chain encircling said drum and passing over a-driving sprocket, said sprocket being positioned substantially above the upwardly moving side of the drum, so as to relieve the tension on said supporting elements, and means for rotating said sprocket to turn the drum and tumble the blocks of wood therein.

6. In a bark removing machine, the combination of a rotatable drum adapted to continuously receive blocks vof wood at one end and to discharge them at'the other end, said drum having longitudinal bark discharging slots, endless elements supporting said drum, a pair of sheaves for each of said elements, one sheave of each pair having spring-pressed take-up bearings, a sprocket encircling said drum, a driving chain for said sprocket, a driving sprocket positioned substantially above the upwardly moving side of said drum and over which said drivingchain is adjusted withenough slack on r the following side to permit shifting of said take-up bearings, guiding means at the sides of said drum and means for turning said driving sprocket to rotate said drum in said supporting elements.

7. In a bark removing machine, the combination of a rotatable drum adapted to continuously receive blocks of wood at one end and to discharge them at the other end, said drum having bark discharging slots in its side, a shallow tank adapted to contain water wherein the drum may rotate partly submerged to periodically submerge the wood under treatment, said tank being unobstructed from end to end and having a concave bottom which throughout. is substantially concentric with the drum, endless chains supporting said drum, guide rings secured to the outer surface of the-drum, rollers engaging the guide rings at the sidesof the drum, a driving chain encircling, said drum, meansacting on said chain to rotate said'drum, and means carried byth drum for continuously lifting the bark over the edge of the tank as the drum rotates. I

- I I I I 8.- In a bark removin machine, the com-' bination of a rotatable rum open from end to endand adapted to continuousl receive I V blocks of wood from which the bar is to-be removed by tumbling in 'the drum, said drum being provided with longitudinal bark releasing slots and a plurality of smooth, encircling rings, a shallow tank adapted to contain water wherein the drum may rotate partly submerged, said tank. being unobstructed from end to end and having aconcave bottom which throughout is substantially concentric with the drum, endless chains engaging said encircling rings and supporting the drum, smooth wheels by which said chains are supported, a sprocket encircling said drum, a driving chain engaging said sprocket, means for actuating said driving chain to rotate said drum, and

flights carried by the drum and adaptedto sweep through the tank for continuously removing the bark from the tank as the drum rotates. a I

9. In a bark removing machine, the combination of a rotatable drum open from end to end and adapted to continuously receive ran blocks of wood from which the bark is to be removed by tumbling in the drum, said drum being provided with longitudinal bark-releasing slots and a plurality (Lifeticircling rings, endless chains supporting said drum at said rings, a plurality of sheaves for each chain, said sheaves being spaced apart a distance approk-imatin diameter of the drum, an additional riv-z ing chainencirclingsaid drum, means act-g ing on said driving chain to'rotate said drum" in said supporting chains, and atank adapted to contain water wherein the drumv may rotate partly submerged. v

10. In a bark removing machine, the comire" bination of a rotatable drum openfrom end to end and adapted to continuously receive blocks of wood fromwhich the bark is to be removed by tumbling in the drum, said drum being provided with longitudinal bark-releasing slots and a plurality of smooth encircling rings, endless chains sup porting said drum at said rings, a plurality of smooth sheaves for each chain, said sheaves being spaced apart a distance approximating the diameter of the drum, an additional driving chain encircling said drum, and means acting on said driving chain to rotate said drum in said supporting chains.

11. In a bark removing machine, the combination of a rotatable drum adapted to continuously receive blocks of wood at one end and to discharge them atthe other end, said drum having lon itudinal bark-discharging slots, endless chains supporting said drum, a pair of sheaves for each of said chains, said sheaves being spaced apart a distance approximating the diameter of the drum, a spring-controlled takeup bearing for one of said sheaves and a chain drive for said drum.

12. In a bark removing machine, the combination of a rotatable drum adapted to receive blocks of wood at one end and to dis charge them at the other end, said drum hav ing bark-discharging slots in its side, endless traveling elements supported from spaced shafts forming a loop at least as large as the diameter of the drum, and a driving chain encircling said drum and passing over a driving sprocket, said sprocket being positioned substantially above thefupwardly moving side of the drum, substantially as described.

13. In a bark removing machine,-the combination of a rotatable drum with-open ends adapted to continuously receive blocks of wood at one end and to continuously discharge them, after treatment, at the other end, a tank partly surrounding the drum and adapted to contain water wherein the wood is tumbled as the drum rotates, openings in the side of said drum for the passage of detached bark into the tank, and a spiral baflie on the outside of the drum near its end to clear the bark out of the end of the tank.

14. In a bark removing machine, the combination of a rotatable drum open from end to end and adapted to continuously receive blocks of wood through one end and to continuously discharge them, after treatment, through the other end, a concave tank partly surrounding the drum and adapted to contain Water wherein the wood is tumbled as the drum rotates, said drum having openings in its side for the passage-of detached bark into the tank, flights on the outside of the drum for continuously removing the bark from the tank, and spiral bafiies near the ends of the drum to clear the bark out of the ends of the tank.

15. In a barking apparatus, the combina-.

said drumhaving openings in its side for the passage of detached bark into the tank, means for continuously removing the bark from the tank as the drum rotates, an inclined grid on which the wood discharged from the drum is delivered, means for washing it on the grid and means at the side of said drum and leading from near the discharge end thereof to the intake end thereof for returning pieces of wood for further treatment in the drum when desired.

16. In a barking apparatus, the combination of a rotatable drum with open ends adapted to ,continuously receive blocks of wood at one endand to continuously discharge them, after treatment, at the other end, a tank partly surrounding the drum and adapted to contain water, when desired, said drum having openings in its side for the passage of detached bark into the tank, means for continuously removing the bark from the tank as the drum rotates, a grid on which the wood discharged from the drum is delivered, means for washing the Wood on the rid and for delivering water to the wood within the drum.

17. A barking drum comprising rings connected by bars with slots between the bars through which bark may escape, and bafiies obstructing said slots to form tortuous passages for the discharge of bark, but through which wood under treatment will not pass.

18. A barking drum comprising rings connected by angle bars which have their flanges Fextending inward to {tumble the wood to be barked, said angle bars being spaced apart to r'orm longitudinal slots through which the detached bark may escape from the drum, and additional bars over said slots to prevent protrusion therethrough of thin pieces of wood under treatment.

In testimon whereof I afiix my signature.

HERBERT GUE'ITLER. 

